Tellers: Salary, Job Outlook & How to Become One (2026 Parent Guide)

Tellers fall under the Office and Administrative Support category in the U.S. occupational classification. Tellers earn a median salary of $39,340 per year, ranking in the top 86% of all U.S. occupations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects -12.9% job growth through 2034, projected to lose jobs through 2034. Entry into this field typically requires a high school diploma plus on-the-job training, certifications, or postsecondary credentials, with specific licensing or certification depending on the state and employer. For parents whose teenager is exploring this path, the most actionable step is mapping the education requirements to specific colleges and majors before junior year — not waiting until application season.

What do tellers earn?

The median annual wage for tellers is $39,340. That puts tellers at #696 on the BLS ranked list of all U.S. occupations by median pay. This salary is around or below the U.S. median for individual workers, so career growth often depends on advancement into supervisory roles, specialization, or additional credentials. Actual pay varies meaningfully by state, employer type, and years of experience — entry-level salaries are typically 30–40% below the median, while top-decile earners often exceed it by 50% or more.

Is tellers a growing career?

The 10-year outlook for tellers is -12.9%, projected to lose jobs through 2034. Employment is projected to move from approximately 347K positions in 2024 to 302K in 2034, a net change of -45K. A declining outlook does not mean the field is disappearing; it means automation, demographics, or substitution effects are shrinking the pool of openings. Students entering a declining field should plan for adjacent skills that transfer to growing roles.

What do tellers do every day?

According to O*NET task surveys of working tellers, these are the core responsibilities most professionals perform. This is what your teen would actually be doing in this role.

1. 1.Monitor bank vaults to ensure cash balances are correct.
2. 2.Count currency, coins, and checks received, by hand or using currency-counting machine, to prepare them for deposit or shipment to branch banks or the Federal Reserve Bank.
3. 3.Prepare and verify cashier's checks.
4. 4.Identify transaction mistakes when debits and credits do not balance.
5. 5.Carry out special services for customers, such as ordering bank cards and checks.
6. 6.Balance currency, coin, and checks in cash drawers at ends of shifts and calculate daily transactions, using computers, calculators, or adding machines.
7. 7.Receive checks and cash for deposit, verify amounts, and check accuracy of deposit slips.
8. 8.Process transactions, such as term deposits, retirement savings plan contributions, automated teller transactions, night deposits, and mail deposits.

Top skills for tellers

O*NET ranks these as the most important skills for this occupation, on a 1–5 importance scale derived from worker surveys.

What education does my child need to become teller?

Many tellers enter the field with a high school diploma plus on-the-job training, though employers increasingly favor candidates with certifications or some postsecondary coursework. For parents helping a teen prepare, the highest-leverage step before junior year is identifying colleges and programs that feed reliably into this occupation — Solyo's college search lets parents filter by major and admissions data side by side.

Related careers your child might also consider

• Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants
  $74,260 median
• First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers
  $66,140 median
• Brokerage Clerks
  $62,940 median
• Postal Service Clerks
  $61,630 median
• Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks
  $57,770 median
• Postal Service Mail Carriers
  $57,490 median

Common questions parents ask about tellers